HANOVER TOWNSHIP – Officials at an apartment high-rise in Luzerne County said elderly and disabled residents were forced to stay in motel rooms or other apartments in the building, as crews worked to remove asbestos.
Joe Grady told Newswatch 16 that six residents on the sixth floor of Lee Park Towers near Wilkes-Barre have been relocated, and that six more tenants must move by Sunday.
According to Grady, vibrations from contractors working outside on the roof, caused dust particles in the ceiling of sixth floor apartments to fall.
"The air samples came back good, and then the actual samples that we took out of the material came back with a low level of asbestos in the material,” said Grady. “They’re in there cleaning up all the tenants’ belongings and moving it into the lower floor.”
Catherine Weidow said she was quickly escorted out of her apartment when the test results returned.
“Oh it’s full of dust,” said Weidow. “I’m having a rough time. I got a headache from all the pounding."
The Luzerne County Housing Authority said that tenants will be temporarily moved out of their apartments, before work on the roof expands to the other two wings of the building.
Officials said that they are following all safety precautions, and that the health of tenants and employees at Lee Park Towers is not at risk.